Sleep paralysis...

[Bondy007]

Used to get this as a child, not so much once I hit my teens (nowhere near those anymore!). Scary...

[arosiem]

Originally Posted by loves2plan

Yes, I've had it a few times and it really freaked me out the first time - I thought by BF's flat was haunted!
It's also known as 'Old Hag Syndrome' thoughtco/the-old-hag-syndrome-2594415
I can now tell when it's happening so it's not as scary and I do the thing of trying to make my finger move too. As soon as there's movement you snap straight out of it.

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Oh gosh that’s so weird! The figure I saw was definitely a woman and crouched on my chest. How incredibly odd that it is experienced in that way by a lot of people!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by loves2plan

Yes, I've had it a few times and it really freaked me out the first time - I thought by BF's flat was haunted!
It's also known as 'Old Hag Syndrome' thoughtco/the-old-hag-syndrome-2594415
I can now tell when it's happening so it's not as scary and I do the thing of trying to make my finger move too. As soon as there's movement you snap straight out of it.

See more...

Yep, was always a witch. Strangely she would have a syringe in her hand ...

[Evil queen]

Yep, I get it quite frequently. Sometimes it's the old woman/witch sat on my chest trying to strangle me- she's very heavy despite her size! Other times it's just the paralysis which is also pretty scary. Ive still not managed to find a way to make it stop.

[chrisxal]

Wow I thought it was only me who had these weird dreams, where I can feel the pressure either on my bed or actual body, I try so hard to shout for help, when I manage to come too I am muttering 'help me. help me'. Next time I will try to move my finger, thanks for the tip.

[Princesa]

Originally Posted by sbuck93

Yes I get it quite often, usually when I’ve drifted off and tried to wake up again so not in a deep sleep. I found it terrifying the first few times I had it but now I’m more used to it I just lay there and try not to panic until my body fully ‘wakes up’. I remember having it for the first time as a child and trying to scream for my mum but no sound was coming out, so strange.

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I’m exactly the same! If I wake up and drift off again, that’s when it happens. I just let it happen without panicking, but I won’t open my eyes!

[Leyfy]

I've had this too. Someone was bending over me to 'attack' me and I woke up screaming! Gave my husband a right fright! Really unsettling.

I do quite often suffer from nightmares, but I've found these are linked to body temperature and made worse if I am too hot or too cold.

[arosiem]

Originally Posted by Evil queen

Yep, I get it quite frequently. Sometimes it's the old woman/witch sat on my chest trying to strangle me- she's very heavy despite her size! Other times it's just the paralysis which is also pretty scary. Ive still not managed to find a way to make it stop.

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Yep mine was like this - although I wouldn’t say she was old. But a woman with long black straggly hair sat on my chest. Her hair covered her face until she looked up at me and smiled, that’s when I woke up. She had white eyes.

[sky13]

I've been getting this fairly often since my teens - every now and again I'll be sleeping and be aware that I'm sleeping and try to move and then find that I can't move. The scary part is that sometimes I will feel that I can't breathe either!

Interestingly compared to other people on this thread - I haven't had it as much in the last few years since I started work (which is also when I started becoming generally sleep deprived to the point of literally being able to sleep anywhere)...

[arosiem]

Originally Posted by sky13

I've been getting this fairly often since my teens - every now and again I'll be sleeping and be aware that I'm sleeping and try to move and then find that I can't move. The scary part is that sometimes I will feel that I can't breathe either!

Interestingly compared to other people on this thread - I haven't had it as much in the last few years since I started work (which is also when I started becoming generally sleep deprived to the point of literally being able to sleep anywhere)...

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That is weird! I seem fine sleeping any other time than at night, but due to work and uni I can be up til early hours so my sleep pattern is all over.

Putting it down to that plus added work and final year uni stress. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen again any time soon!